Infant&#39;s garment



Feb. l22, 1944. F.- GARDNER INFANT'S GARMENT Filed June 7, 1941 Patented Feb. 22, 1944 UNITED STATES' PATENT 2,342,187

INFANTS GARMENT Florinda Gardner, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application June 7, 1941, Serial No. 397,101

1 Claim.

My invention has to do with infants garments and relates more particularly to garments embodying a crotch protective means.

It has been customary for children, up to say two years of age, to wear rubber pants, but such garments are relatively unsanitary, unhealthy, hot and odorous in that they lack proper ventilation and must be tightly secured around the waist in a manner which interferes with free blood circulation. Furthermore, such garments are not conducive to neatness and they are difcult to maintain in place on the wearer. While attempts have been made to overcome some of these objections, such as by providing snap-on shields which are detachable from the garment, such means have been relatively unsatisfactory because snaps, clasps or buttons on the interior of the garment are hazardous in that the tender skin of an infant is easily bruised by them. Moreover, unless such clasps or buttons are provided in impractical numbers, the detachable shields pull between anchoring points and become uncomfortable and unsightly.

It is therefore among the objects of my invention to overcome those disadvantages and provide a garment incorporating, as a permanent and integral part thereof, a crotch protective element lining the crotch area and being extended therefrom into and sewed within the leg hems.

Among the other more particular objects of my invention are: the provision of a garment having a crotch protective element which is comfortable, inconspicuous, which may be laundered along with the remainder of the garment, which provides desired air circulation, which eliminates the objectionable odors resulting from the use of rubber pants, which protects the infants skin, which embodies a waterproof layer shielded from contact with the skin as well as from view, which does not bind or otherwise interfere with free blood circulation, which prevents moisture from escaping onto the outer clothing, and which is economical and highly serviceable.

Other objects and advantages are inherent in my novel garment and how those as well as the foregoing objects are accomplished will now be explained by describing one presently preferred adaptation of my invention, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation, with parts broken away, showing a childs pants garment embodying my invention;

has a somewhat U-shape.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, I show at 5 a pants element having a waistband 6 for attachment by buttons or the like to a waist (not shown), leg openings hemmed at 9, and a crotch protective element generally designated by the numeral Ill.

The crotch element consists of a sheet I5 of waterproof material over the inner surface of the front, back and crotch portions of the garment, said sheet I5 being covered by a soft fabric inner lining I6 superposed over the sheet I5. Sheet I5 and lining I6 extend continuously along the front inner surface of the garment, downwardly around the crotch and thence up the back inner surface of the garment, so that it Sheet I5 and lining I6 are both somewhat wider than the crotch so as to line the leg portions of the garment adjacent the crotch, being cut away at I1 to accommodate the leg openings. Sheets I5 and I6 are stitched to the garment along their peripheral edges, as shown at I9, and extend into and are turned backwardly and enclosed in the hem 9 by the stitch 2li. The hem is so constructed as not to present any exposed rough or unfinished edge portion which might tend to scratch the tender skin of a childthat is, the strips I5, I6 and the outer portion of the garment are turned inwardly along their peripheral edges at the legs, and since the thus superposed sheets or strips present a relatively thick, rough peripheral edge portion, I secure a doubledvstrip of soft fabric 22 to the inturned hem. portion 23 by stitch 24 and secure the folded peripheral edge of strip 22 to the inner surface of the legs by stitch 20. Thus the composite hem 9 is of a type to insure comfort and prevent injury to the skin of the child wearing the garment. This is particularly important in that the leg portions are usually designed to fit tightly around the legs, in fact, elastic is sometimes used to insure a relatively tight fit. Being thus hemmed in the leg-hole hems at each side of the crotch, the hem provides a waterproof barrier against escape of moisture and the legs adjacent the crotch are protectively lined.

Typically, sheet I5 is composed of a fleeced, rubberized fabric and sheet I6 is of a soft batiste fabric.

My invention is not intended to be confined to the particular details hereinbefore described, its

leg hems, an inner lining of soft fabric for each leg hem, each of said inner lining members covering the exposed peripheral edges of said front and back portions and waterproof sheet and consisting of a strip folded upon itself and having its folded top edge secured to the garment interior and its bottom edges turned inwardly and enclosed in the hem whereby to cover the leg hem by a. soft fabric lining free of exposed rough leg openings;l the 'peripheral portions of lthe front 10 edges.l

and back portions and 'Waterproof' sheet along the leg ends being turned inwardly to provide FLORINDA GARDNER. 

